Tottenham Hotspur “definitely” have RB Leipzig and Croatia centre-back Joško Gvardiol on their list, with Antonio Conte’s side interested in bringing the defender to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, according to journalist Paul Brown.

The 20-year-old is currently in Qatar on World Cup duty with the 2018 runners-up.

What’s the latest on Gvardiol?

Despite transfer interest, Gvardiol’s immediate focus will be on achieving success at the World Cup with Croatia, with the Vatreni getting off to a disappointing start following a 0-0 stalemate with Morocco, before a 4-1 victory over Canada leaves the 2018 runners-up top of their group with four games.

Zlatko Dalić’s side know that a point against Belgium in their final group stage clash on Thursday will secure a spot in the last 16 of the competition as they look to complete the unlikely task of going one better than last time out.

The RB Leipzig man, whose club rate him as being worth £75m, will be hoping to play a big part in that last group game, which could showcase his talents to potential suitors ahead of the January transfer window.

And Brown suggests that there are “four or five” big clubs alongside Tottenham who are interested in securing Gvardiol’s signature in the near future.

What has Brown said about Gvardiol?

Brown told GMS: “He's definitely on Tottenham's list. The trouble is, he's on the list of about four or five other very big clubs who are all Champions League regulars.

“I think this one is really going to depend on who makes the first move, whether that's in January or in the summer.

“I would expect to see a bidding war, depending on how big the first bid that goes in is.”

Would Gvardiol be a good signing for Tottenham?

According to Football Insider back in October, Tottenham have had a long-standing interest in Gvardiol which has dated back two years, with Conte still wanting to sign a new left-sided centre-back in his three/five at the back system.

The 14-time Croatia international has made 19 appearances for RB Leipzig this season and has even managed to notch a goal according to Transfermarkt, with the defender playing solely in the centre-back role for the Bundesliga club.

The Zagreb-born starlet, who has been described as being built like a "tank" by Germania Sport editor Izak Ante Sucic, is especially comfortable with the ball at his feet and playing out from the back, which is shown by the fact he ranks in the top 1% of centre-backs across Europe’s big five leagues as well as the Champions League and Europa League for dribbles completed per 90 minutes (1.08), and the top 3% for progressive passes per 90 minutes (4.51) over the last 365 days according to FBref, something which would be vital in Conte’s system.

Therefore, it would seem that at the age of just 20, Spurs could be making a superb signing if they were to add the services of Gvardiol to their squad, with Fabio Paratici and Daniel Levy potentially having to make a January move to secure the Croatia star’s services.